“I’ve
lived long enough to know that most people spend an extraordinary amount of time pretending,” he said. “They pretend to be happy, pretend to be successful, pretend not to be frightened. You don’t have to do that with me.”
He paused before adding, “And you don’t have to explain your sadness to earn the right to feel it.”
Something about those words stayed with Yuki.
They were not a promise that he would fix her life. They were not a declaration that he understood everything she had experienced.
They were simply permission to stop pretending for a moment.
For the first time in weeks, Yuki felt that she could breathe without preparing herself for the next disappointment.
They stayed on the beach until the afternoon light began to soften.
Before leaving, Kenji gave her the name of a small restaurant where he claimed the pancakes were better than the ones
